names again (calling names). >> good afternoon. i'm just here as a resident of panicking can and a member of environmental groups they're the environmental family although i don't represent them as a group but as somebody that hikes there all the time i've never seen a san francisco garden that's to beautiful. i have a lot of friends that feel the way i do. i have friends who golf and they won't golf there. they care about the environment and a city that's been a beak on its important to take the environmental approach first.

that's it. thank you >> thank you. >> next speaker >> good afternoon i live in the panic can i'm the secretary for the golf alliance and i'm a lawyer i met my husband through the alliance i guessed that's a good thing. >> do you see much of him and yeah. . i'm a latino and i've been a litigation attorney golf is a passion and i'm here to tell you as past code champ that this is not just a golf course it's a truly a place where the community meets and young people

are out there enjoying that golf course. you get young people away from their ipods and games have them walk in the beautiful course maybe they'll become loyal to protecting the environment. as std we play and protect we have an understanding of how important the balance is. i've golfed with the folks here in mexico and i've seen the balance that can be struck between golfers and the project. let's get this thing started and keep people out there. it's too good of o a resource for everyone it's a great resource for affordable golf

>> can we please hold - >> thank you. >> hi, i'm bradley i want to begin with two quotes. quote number one the only reason for the existence of golf and other defames they promote the height and prosperity. quote two i hope to see the day when their crowds of courses cropping up. it would help the health and prosperity of nations. there can be no possible reason against and every reason in favor of municipal courses unquote. what i've seen any saturday or sunday you'll find people gathering will go together to

engage in physical activity at sharp park. the park sharp park is to the an elitist place nor an exclusive golf course it's for anyone. and that's the spirit of sharp park. when sharp park was constructed in 1931 a salt lagoon was transformed into a good place for frogs. over the time it's been destroyed but after it was refreshed to freshwater the snake and frog were restored. once again 24 will restore and have a habitat for the snake and frog. i urge the commission to move forward with this promise.

thank you >> thank you. >> next speaker >> good afternoon my name is is mike i'm a thirty year resident of san francisco and live on russian hill. i'm an enthusiastic but bad golfer and a present patriot especially lincoln park and sharp park. i'm here in support of the plan the sharp park habitat enhancement plan i've followed the controversies and i'd like to make a couple of observations that are overlooked in this controversy. first of all, the controversies often framed as golfer vs.

environmentalists. it's simply not true the actual controversy is between environmentalist and other environmentalists. on one hand you such got practical problem solving environmentalists that are specifically i'm going to point to the dedicated rec and park employees that have the best interests of the sharp park at best and i want to say let's enhance the habitat. i point to people like lisa and dawn i've seen the work in terms of trying to implement this plan and implement this improvement

to the habitat. on the other hand, you've got ideally litigations specialities like the wild equity institute where the frog and snake are an end goal they want to have people give up a control it belongs to the people of san francisco. and to give up control to the federal government which i would say is wrong. now this brings me to the seconds important point i think i've got an overhead here. i'm going to 80 going to actually read this but basically we've had golf course operations at sharp park for 80 years it created the freshwater and

that's the managed habitat. what we've learned is the scientist and biologists have determined that there is no current threat to the red frog. thank you very much >> i suggest we move forward with the plans. thank you >> we have jack scott and julie. >> good afternoon mr. president, and mr. beginning beggar. i've been an advocate for low cost family entertainment for many, many years. golf is one of those. the high school golf teams, the blue collared golf players, the

minority golf players. the affordable critical ma consequence is incredible and must be maintained. there are several things that need protection that are endangered one it is red legged frog and the that other is the california garden snake and the rest of the young golfers that learn their life lessons on a golf course self discipline. they get to learn about what life is through golf and we have in a business that i ran in san

francisco for many years wisp fortunate to have a national amateur champ female from the filipino heritage that's because was an affordable golf available the frogs and snakes and humans are all important and all need to be protected. the program that has been submitted the enhancement program i urge you to consider that and to pass it and let's move on. thank you all very much >> thank you. >> julie. >> thank you very much.

what i'd like to do is say a few words to the environmentalists. i consider myself an environmentalist. i've enjoyed almost thirty years of environmental protection and served on the open space task force which laid out on extensive plan to protect 50 parcels as open space. i got involved with the golf course issue as i was a member of the city council at that time, and i was role so distraught by the reaction of i guess mr. at that particular timeer in particular who spearheaded the steadily

degrading habitat and i thank the city for presenting the slides that show the in fill of cat tails in those two bodies of water which are critical for the red legged frog and the garden snake. i want to remind everyone this starts 7 years ago. it's been seven years that the city of san francisco has been blocked from being able to carry out the mutual needed renovations by the efforts preventing it from happening in the name of environmental protection. i want to share with those who building that's the case to really look at the site. i know my fellow

environmentalist in panic can who didn't understand the golf course it was a knee-jerk anti golf people they now realize when we see the in fill of the cat tails this project is absolutely critical if you care about the red legged frogs and the snakes. this has to move forward. to be blocked any further would be an incredible blow and it would be very, very tragic so you thank you very much >> thank you. >> i have one more card. >> thank you very much i'm the co-founder of the san francisco public golf alliance and on

behalf of the members we support the project. we submit a letter but i'd like to add it may be that widespread equity have every right to choose a cause but they don't have a right to choose the facts and the fact is that sharp park in 1892 was labeled as a result valley on the national survey. it was evenly hospitable to the two species they seek to defend. it's because of the transformation of this property by john and al take care there's habitat to begin with and the reason that the frog and snake has done and the frog population has increased it's because of the responsible std of your

staff. in addition this project is not something dreamed up it's been years coming and it's in large part coincides with the biological opinion that was issued by the wildlife service. those items in that opinion are the produce of very studied and very scientific analysis. everybody who has looked at this situation knows what the historical fact teachers the golf and species can coexist and if all of our precious golf course this could you say has the deepest routes al stare mckenzie it's a treasure it's

the equality of a rhyme brant. i want to urge you on behalf of our 6 thousand members this move forward with this project. thank you >> (clapping) >> please - is there anyone else who wants to speak. you already spoke-i'm sorry. anyone who wants to speak and if you could line up by the door. >> good afternoon and thank you very much. i'm clarence bryant i'm an 82-year-old san franciscan. i started placing john sharp over 50 years as a member of the

western golf association which is the largest minority disadvantaged golf group in the country had their first tournament p there. that golf course has provide for militant and disadvantaged combofrlz the pleasure the fun, the comrade that holds us altogether as human beings. i think it would be a travesty if we were to close that golf course. it roudz in san mateo county it's as much of san francisco as the golden gate bridge.

>> hold the applause. is there anyone else who wants to make any public comment? seeing none, public comment is closed. commissioner low >> well, first, i want on the record i've given up on golf (laughter). >> i've move forward on but i do want to ask matt a question regarding the fish and game wildlife. aren't we required to do this work >> there are a number of elements that were identified by the finish and a wildlife service. there are a total of 32 measures and other measures were covered in a previous project it was the upland project. >> so the scope of work is required by the fish and game

wildlife. >> yes. >> seeing no other comments i feel i should weigh in and say i'm an avenue individual golfer and wishes he was better but this is a public recreational facility that has an enormous service it is economically the most feasible golf on a beautiful course. and that fact alone would knoll me to do everything we can to make it comparable with the frog and snake >> u but i'm moved by the frog and snake wouldn't be there if it would for al stare mckenzie and i know the department is trying to increase the habitat. >> i move to make a motion.

>> before you that i want to remind everyone what you will be doing is approving a resolution i'm going to read the title and resolve clauses then after that a motion. it's entitled resolution to one adapt fvnd a negative declaration and a mitigation monitoring and reporting program under the california environmental quality act and two approve the sharp park safety improvement and habitat project including the conceptual plan that includes safety improvements to the pump house and for the san francisco garden snake and red legged frog. we resolve that the rec and park department and reviewed and considered the s f n example d

and there is no significant impact on the investment contained in the m m rp to avoid potentially you environmental effects associated with the project and hereby adapts this a a and as part of this resolution commits to all the rp and be it further roved that the rec and park department improves the safety and habitat project including the conceptual plan that includes the safety improvements to the pump house and enhancement for the california garden snake and

frog. >> it's been moved and seconded. >> all in favor, say i. so moved. >> thank you commissioners we're on item we announced at the beginning we'll hear item 12 a we're separating item 12 which the the tower disagreement. >> good afternoon, commissioners nick or good afternoon commissioners (laughter). >> nick for the department. very expiated to be here like

jake after many years of work with the final step for this commission an a very important project that we have been working on and that's, of course, the lease for the coit tore concessions operation. as you all know coit tore was built in 1933 to grace the skyline it was named after hillary clinton come back to leave a significant place for the city to add to the city she also loved. a group of artists which was a foreign of works progress administration they pained pictures spikt life during the

combrd. coit tower as an landmark and is indeed a city landmark number 665 listed on the historic places. i believe in the last few months you guys have heard about the capita project at coit tower we're spending millions of dollars to renovate this tower and this is the largest project in the history of coit tower. the item before you is a lease for the operations of the concession. we began work with the community many years ago and over the ensuing years have had any conversations. in 2011, we issued a request are for proposals evenly lisa new

operation because the previous agreement had extraordinary and was on a month to month basis. we asked for significant feedback from the community and notoriously there was a document it was jointly prepared by the pioneer park project that have been submitted to the department and we're pleased to say we've incorporated those principles into the rfp and those include the to create a high quality book store. improving visitor flow and implementing a mural protection plan for the area. one of the things that has been a priority for the community and

department in this process is that we believe that coit tower is a historic treasure and should be treated as a museum rather than an attraction. we'll created to intensity a contract that improves the visitor experience into in terms of the professionalism of the operation and how knowledgeable their staff is and how we're presenting that information to the visitors as well as the items that are offered. we got a lot of feedback from the community we're happy to incorporate. so in june of 2012 the rec and park commission selected terry grim to operate the coy tower concession and we entered into new york city with mr. grim. a little bit of background he

has run a number of successive family businesses here in san francisco including the anchor those take care bar and other businesses in northern california. the department i think was particularly the foreign commission were particularly attracted to again, the mr. grimz proposal including things that treat the coit tower more like a museum than an attraction. the department has negotiated the attached lease with the following terms it has an initial term of 5 years with a possible 3 year additional extension with park approval and the permitted uses include operating an elevator with a

bookstore and we're happy to say this is a significant expansion of the tours we have on site currently there are two tours a week offered on site would the city guides program we'll be having daily tours out there for the first time whatever day they'll be able to go to the coit tower this trial hear about the history of the coit tower and there will be temple psychotic machines out in the perimeter of the surrounding 0 parking lot. it will be 62 thoughts plus with an annual c pi interest and the rent will be paid of each of the following revenue streams.

the department will receive 90 percent of the admission receipts and 10 percent of audit tours and 50 percent of telescopic viewers and 10 percent of the gross receipts. we will be marking a capital improvement of $75,000 to the tower. they'll bring their oppose equipment to operate the concession. as i mentioned coit tower will be responsible for admitting the elevators and lastly, the telescopic viewing misunderstand and the tours we'll have more

information. this is the first time we're implementing this program and we'll have people who are professional and they'll act as greeters to the public and to inform the public will the mural guidelines which have been established to protect the murals. i'm sure you're aware of those mourlz are perhaps they're relatively close to the public so it's important we inform the public about the steps to protect them like not allowing informed and beverage in the memorial rooms and wearing backpacks and those are guidelines with the assistants of the arts commission. all folks will be trained